There is a plentiful supply of Australian mangoes on the retail shelves in the lead-up to Christmas, with the industry producing the highest number of trays for the season last week.
According to the My Mango weekly Crop Forecasts, from the Australian Mango Industry Association, 768,000 (7kg) trays were sent to market which was an increase from 619,000 trays the previous week - and almost double the volume from this time last year. This increase in volume has meant lower prices for consumers at the retail level, with some varieties of mangoes being sold for around $2 at the major retailers.
"Higher volume than forecast was dispatched from the Mareeba/Dimbulah region last week," The AMIA said. "In particular, plenty of high-quality Kensington Prides are now heading to supermarkets and fruit shops. Hot to very hot temperatures are continuing this week, providing an additional challenge to workforce management for our growers. In the Bowen/Burdekin region Honey Gold picking has now begun, with Kensington Pride and R2E2 varieties nearly concluded in the area. Good volumes of other varieties such as Lady Jane and Gee! were also dispatched last week. Some other growers in this region have now concluded their picking season and have moved onto their pruning and other post-harvest activities."
In South East Queensland, storms and showers returned this week in some areas, with growers eager to start their picking within the next few weeks, as final preparations for pack sheds are being made. While in the Western Australian region of Carnarvon some of the orchards are looking patchy.
"They are also displaying different development stages; some of the fruit might be ready to pick soon, while the rest won’t be until January," the AMIA said. "Some growers might do a first light pick before Christmas, but the season isn’t expected to kick in until the New Year. However, if the mild weather remains, the amount of fruit usually lost to sunburn could partially compensate for the low-producing trees, as the region is often prone to heat waves."
Most growers in Darwin and Katherine have now concluded harvest and started post-harvest activities, such as pruning and hedging their trees, but late fruit and varieties are still expected to be sent to market over the next couple of weeks.
"Meanwhile, in Kununurra, the season is winding down as most growers have now finished harvesting or are undertaking their last pick," the AMIA said. "With the season running late, the weather has made the end of the season challenging, with growers having to work around the rain to pick their crop, whilst the heat is pushing the fruit to ripen fast on the trees. Fruit quality has been slightly affected by the weather, however overall, the fruit has remained fairly clean in the region."
On the latest forecast figures from the AMIA, it is estimated that 8.96 million trays will be produced by the end of the season which will finish in mid-March. There will continue to be high volumes of the fruit into early January, before volumes will taper off, particularly in North and South East Queensland production regions.
For more information
Australian Mango Industry Association
Phone: +61 7 3278 3755
[email protected]
www.mangoes.net.au